6.3. The mysterious ancestors of Adolf Hitler The meager facts from Hitler’s biography of 1913–1914 perfectly coincide with all the information described above about the events in the “Redl Affair” - like two parts of a banknote torn in the middle. April 20, 1913 to Adolf Hitler

Country: Third Reich.

Type: Infantry, Panzer Grenadier Division, Tank division.

Number of people: 22,000 people.

Motto: My honor is called “loyalty” (German: “Meine Ehre heißt Treue”).

Participation in World War II:

Polish Wehrmacht Campaign (1939),
French Campaign (1940),
Greece (1941),
"Operation Barbarossa" (1941),
Battle for Rostov (1941),
Kharkov operation (February-March 1943),
Battle of Kursk,
Italy (1943),
battles in Right Bank Ukraine (1943-1944),
Normandy (1944),
Ardennes (1945),
Balaton (1945),
Austria (1945).

Insignia: sleeve cuff ribbon.

Notable commanders:Joseph Dietrich, Theodor Wisch, Wilhelm Mohnke, Otto Kumm.

“Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler” (abbreviated LSSAH or LAH, German 1. SS-Panzer-Division Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler) is an elite formation of SS troops. Created on the basis of Adolf Hitler's personal guard, during the period of its existence it was deployed into a tank corps. Before the outbreak of hostilities, she was personally subordinate to A. Hitler. Along with some Wehrmacht and SS units, the Leibstandarte SS was one of the most effective military forces of the Third Reich. Beginning in 1943, the formation operated in the most difficult sectors, transferring seven times from the Eastern Front and Western Front. In terms of the number of holders of the Knight's Cross, the division is among the top five among the military ground formations of the Third Reich.

During World War II, military personnel of the unit committed war crimes. A number of them were convicted by tribunals and courts after the end of hostilities. Based on the materials of the Extraordinary State Commission to establish and investigate the atrocities of the Nazi invaders, the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler division is included in the list of Wehrmacht and SS formations and units that committed war crimes on the territory of the USSR. At the Nuremberg trials, the entire organization of the SS troops, including the Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler, was declared criminal.

The first model of the LSSAH standard.

Formation in the pre-war years.

On January 30, 1933, NSDAP leader Adolf Hitler was appointed Reich Chancellor of the Weimar Republic. Since he did not trust the conventional army, on March 17, 1933, it was decided to create a guard detachment for the Reich Chancellery from among the SS members. The group of 117 people was led by Hitler's personal bodyguard Joseph Dietrich. The unit received the name “SS Headquarters Security” (German: “SS-Stabswahe”) and was stationed not far from the Reich Chancellery building. Soon, a special “Fuhrer Security Team” (German: “Führerschultzcommando”) was allocated from the formation, responsible for the direct protection of Hitler. In June 1933, the unit, which reached a strength of up to 600 people, was renamed the “Special Command of the SS Berlin” (German: “SS Standarte—Sondercomando Berlin”) and redeployed to the barracks of the “Royal Prussian Main Cadet Corps”, rebuilt after the First World War ", in the West Lichterfelde district of Berlin.

Considering that most of the personnel did not have professional military training, SS Sonderkommandos of the same name were created on the basis of army training centers in Zossen and Uteborg. Training was entrusted to regular army officers and there was a continuous exchange of personnel between units. On September 3, 1933, all three SS Sonderkommandos were united into a single unit - “Standard Adolf Hitler” (German: “Adolf-Hitler-Standarte”). And finally, on November 9, 1933, as part of the celebrations dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the “Beer Hall Putsch”, the formation received its final name - “Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler” (German: “Leistandarte SS Adolf Hitler” (LSSAH)).

Hitler in front of his Leibstandarte, Berlin-Lichterfelde, 1935.

From the moment of its creation, the unit performed ceremonial and guard functions: participated in parades, carried an honor guard in the interior of government and party buildings: the Reich Chancellery, the Treasury, a number of ministries and the SS headquarters. In addition, he was responsible for ensuring the security of three Berlin airports and guarding the residences of Adolf Hitler, Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler and SD chief Reinhard Heydrich. The Leibstandarte was first part of the Prussian police, then, along with political units, it was a special armed formation in the SS. However, this affiliation was formal and the unit commander was personally subordinate to A. Hitler. Since November 1933, members of the Leibstandarte began to take an oath of allegiance to Hitler and were not subject to any party or constitutional supervision, being a supra-legal armed formation.

The first serious use of the unit took place at the end of June - beginning of July 1934, when, during the so-called Röhm putsch, following the orders of the Fuhrer, without trial or investigation, it carried out the murders of most of the SA leadership. Joseph Dietrich, who was at that time the commander of the Leibstandarte, directly supervised the executions of some of the condemned. For these crimes, Dietrich was sentenced to prison in 1957.

By the beginning of 1935, the Leibstandarte SS was formed as a real military unit and its strength corresponded to the staff of an army motorized regiment. Candidates went through a rigorous selection process; only military personnel who met the following requirements were enrolled in the unit: age 23-30 years, height at least 184 cm, excellent physical fitness, German citizenship, Aryan origin, no record of police record; in addition, it was required to confirm loyalty to the national socialist state and not be a member of any religious denomination. Increased attention was paid to the ideological indoctrination of personnel: classes on the National Socialist and racial policies of the SS were held at least three times a week. In addition, since “Adolf Hitler” was a ceremonial part, significant time was devoted to drills, which served as the basis for the nickname “Asphalt Soldiers of the Fuhrer.”

In the period 1935-1939, the Leibstandarte took an active part in all the so-called “flower wars” - pre-war territorial annexations of the Reich. In 1935-1936, Leibstandarte units were the first to enter the Saarland and the Rhine demilitarized zone. In March 1938, the Fuhrer's personal guard was included in the motorized corps of Heinz Guderian, who carried out the Anschluss of Austria. They were tasked with occupying Hitler's hometown of Linz. Then, as part of the same corps, the Leibstandarte SS participated in the annexation of the Sudetenland and the occupation of Czechoslovakia. Hitler attached great propaganda importance to the use of the Leibstandarte in these operations, emphasizing the participation of the party and the SS in territorial acquisitions.

Second World War.

Blitzkrieg 1939-1941. Poland, French campaign, Balkans.

On September 1, 1939, World War II began with the German invasion of Poland. At its beginning, the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler was part of the High Command Reserve units (RGK) and was a reinforced motorized regiment. During the fighting, it was assigned to the 13th Army Corps of Maximilian von Weichs, which was advancing on Lodz. A guard battalion remained in Berlin, continuing to perform “ceremonial” functions. The SS unit was the only motorized part of the corps, so the headquarters placed great hopes on it, assigning it the role of a strike force. However, already in the first battles, the Leibstandarte not only failed to complete its assigned combat mission, but also found itself under the threat of encirclement. To eliminate the situation that arose, the corps command had to attract significant army forces. As a result, the Leibstandarte was removed from the direction of the main attack and was entrusted with clearing the occupied territory. This decision did not receive the approval of Hitler, who oversaw the “baptism of fire” of his Life Guards. On his personal instructions, the Leibstandarte was transferred to the 4th Panzer Division advancing on Warsaw. After an unsuccessful assault, the division, together with the attached SS unit, participated in the encirclement of Polish troops between the Vistula and Bzura rivers. During these operations, Adolf Hitler's units did not take part in active battles, but suffered significant losses.

At the end of the Polish campaign, the Leibstandarte was transferred to Prague, where it carried out occupation functions. At the end of 1939, the SS Guards unit was redeployed to a training ground in the Koblenz area, where it carried out reformation and training. Since March 1940, the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler was included in the 10th Army Corps of the 18th Army of Army Group B.

The commander of the Leibstandarte, Joseph Dietrich, awards the personnel. Metz, June 1940.

On May 10, 1940, German troops, according to the Gelb plan, began large-scale offensive operations on the Western Front. The 10th Corps was given the task of quickly capturing Holland, preventing organized resistance from its armed forces. The key role in the operation was assigned to the parachute troops, but the motorized units were tasked with capturing key strongholds (bridges, canal locks) and connecting with the landing groups. Already on the first day of fighting, the Leibstandarte advanced 80 kilometers deep into Dutch territory and cut off the northern provinces from the rest of the kingdom. Then the formation was transferred to the south, attaching it to the 9th Panzer Division advancing on Rotterdam. German paratroopers fought fiercely in the city, and the arrival of tank and motorized units led to the end of resistance. The SS men burst into the city when the commander of the German airborne troops, Kurt Student, accepted the surrender of the garrison. Without understanding the situation, the Leibstandarte soldiers fired at a group of surrendering Dutch soldiers, and General Student was also seriously wounded. The next day, "Adolf Hitler" captured The Hague, where they learned about Holland's withdrawal from the war. By order of Hitler, units of his “nominal standard” marched through the streets of several large Dutch cities.

On May 24, 1940, the Leibstandarte was transferred to the “Dunkirk pocket” area, where it was assigned to the SS Special Purpose Division of SS Gruppenführer Paul Hausser. By this time, the troops received a “stop order” from the Fuhrer prohibiting further advance towards the English Channel. However, the units of the standard, ignoring it, broke through the defenses of the British troops and captured the dominant heights. Then, for several days, acting together with the Grossdeutschland regiment, they fought fierce battles, trying to prevent the evacuation of Allied troops. In one of them, the commander of the Leibstandarte, Obergruppenführer J. Dietrich, nearly died when he drove a staff car into the enemy’s location. As a result of the defeat in Belgium, the French army lost most of its armored and motorized formations, and it was left with only about 60 reservist divisions, which were to form a new front line from the Swiss border to the English Channel. British troops lost all artillery, tanks and vehicles and managed to evacuate to England.

Shield for Dunkirk.

During the subsequent regrouping of German troops, the Leibstandarte was transferred to the Kleist tank group. On June 6, 1940, the second stage of the German offensive began. The enemy front was broken through, Paris fell on June 14, 1940, the entire French defense collapsed, and the pace of the German offensive was limited only by the distance that motorized units could cover in a day. On June 24, 1940, the Grossdeutschland regiment captured Saint-Etienne, which became the southern point of the German invasion of France. By that time, the Franco-German truce had already been signed. During the war in France, Hitler's personal guard demonstrated increased combat training and became a full-fledged combat unit.

Leibstandarte SS units on the march. Greece, April 1941.

At the end of the campaign, the Leibstandarte was transferred to Paris, where the next parade was being prepared. However, after its cancellation, the unit was redeployed to Metz in preparation for Operation Sea Lion. By the end of 1940, the Leibstandarte was equipped with a motorized brigade and consisted of eight battalions and an artillery regiment. At the beginning of February 1941, in preparation for Operation Barbarossa, the unit was transferred to Romania. On March 27, 1941, immediately after the coup d'etat in Yugoslavia, the Wehrmacht High Command decided to conduct an operation against Greece and Yugoslavia. “Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler” was included in the 40th motorized corps of the 12th Army of Field Marshal Wilhelm List, which was advancing on Greece.

On April 6, 1941, German troops invaded Greece and Yugoslavia. In close cooperation with the 9th Panzer Division, Leibstandarte units struck through Skopje to Kozani, completely defeating the armored brigade of the 1st Australian Corps and captured key Pindus passes that opened the road to Central Greece. On April 20, 1941, during the pursuit of Greek troops, SS units managed to capture the Metsovon Pass and cut off the retreat of sixteen divisions of the Epirus Army. The army commander, General Georgios Tsolakoglu, decided to capitulate and signed an agreement with the Leibstandarte commander Dietrich to end hostilities between Greece and Germany. This decision was not approved by King George II, but led to the widespread surrender of Greek troops and Greece's withdrawal from the war. British troops managed to evacuate to Crete. At the beginning of May, the Leibstandarte took part in the parade in Athens, and its role in the successful completion of the campaign was noted by the commander of the German troops in Greece, W. List.

1941 Operation Barbarossa.

In mid-May 1941, the Leibstandarte was transferred to Poland, to the Lublin region and included in the reserve of Army Group South under Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt. His units crossed the Soviet border on June 30, 1941, advancing in the second echelon of the 1st Panzer Group. The SS brigade took part in the final phase of the tank battle Dubno - Lutsk - Brody, covering the flanks of the tank divisions of the 3rd Motorized Corps. The formations of the Southwestern Front, having failed to stop the German troops, retreated in an organized manner to the line of fortifications along the old Soviet border. On July 5, 1941, German motorized units, having broken through the positions of Soviet troops, entered the operational space. The Leibstandarte was assigned to the 13th Panzer Division advancing on Zhitomir. At the end of July, the brigade was transferred to the Uman region and included in the 48th Motorized Corps to participate in the operation to encircle the formations of the Southern Front. On August 1, 1941, two Soviet armies (6th and 12th armies) were cut off from the main forces. The front commander, General I.V. Tyulenev, ordered the encircled group to make their way to the east through Novoarkhangelsk, held by units of the Leibstandarte. Exhausted Soviet troops, experiencing an acute shortage of ammunition and fuel, stormed the SS positions for five days, but were unable to break through the defenses. About 100 thousand people were captured, including the commanders of both armies. After the liquidation of the Uman cauldron, the Leibstandarte took part in the attack on Kherson, which it captured on August 19, 1941 as a result of three days of street fighting. At the end of August, the formation was withdrawn from the front line, having received short preparation for rest and replenishment. In a month and a half of fighting as part of Army Group South, the SS Life Brigade lost more than half of its equipment, and the losses of personnel significantly exceeded the total losses in all “European campaigns.”

In September 1941, the Leibstandarte SS became part of the 11th Army, aimed at capturing the Crimea, and was its only motorized formation. The army commander, Colonel General Erich von Manstein, planned to use the standard for a breakthrough to Sevastopol after capturing the fortified positions of Soviet troops on the Perekop Isthmus. However, due to the blow delivered by formations of the Southern Front (9th Army and 18th Army) on the flank of the German army, it was necessary to transfer an SS brigade to eliminate the threat of a breakthrough. Having repelled the offensive, the command of Army Group South carried out an operation to encircle the Soviet armies with the forces of the 1st Tank Group and units of the 11th Army. During the operation, the Leibstandarte, advancing along the coast of the Sea of ​​Azov, occupied Osipenko (Berdyansk) on October 7, 1941 and closed the encirclement. However, after a few days, a significant part of the Soviet troops managed to break through to the main forces. After this, “Adolf Hitler” was again included in the 3rd Motorized Corps of the 1st Tank Army, intended for the attack on Rostov. The SS brigade acted at the forefront of the main attack: on October 17, 1941, its units captured Taganrog, and a month later, supported by a tank battalion of the 13th Panzer Division, it managed to break into Rostov. Further advance was stopped by a counterattack by Soviet troops on the flank and rear of the enemy strike force in the Rostov direction. The German 1st Panzer Army took up defensive positions along a front to the north, east and south.

Rostov was a key junction of railways and roads connecting the central regions of the USSR with the Caucasus and Ukraine. This city was considered by A. Hitler as a springboard for future Wehrmacht operations in the Caucasus. In turn, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, fully aware of the significance of Rostov, demanded that maximum efforts be made for its speedy return. On November 22-23, 1941, the strike group of the Southern Front created a threat of encirclement of units of the 3rd Motorized Corps. The German command was forced to begin transferring its forces from Rostov to the crisis area in order to eliminate the breakthrough. On November 27, 1941, the 56th Army began a frontal attack directly on the city, defended by units of the Leibstandarte. After three days of street fighting, Soviet troops cleared Rostov of the enemy. German troops began to retreat to the Mius River line, where they managed to gain a foothold and create a defensive line (Mius Front). The defeat at Rostov was the first major defeat of both the Leibstandarte and the Wehrmacht as a whole.

The Leibstandarte suffered its first defeat near Rostov, November 1941.

1942 Reorganization on the Eastern and Western Fronts.

During the first year of the campaign Eastern Front The Leibstandarte was virtually destroyed: all equipment was lost, and by the end of 1941 there was an almost one hundred percent renewal of personnel. Deprived of the necessary equipment for combat operations in harsh winter conditions, the SS brigade suffered significant losses as a result of mass cases of freezing to death and frostbite of the extremities. Despite constant reinforcements, by the beginning of 1942 the number was less than 50% of the staff. The remnants of the unit were withdrawn to the rear for replenishment.

In January 1942, it was decided to deploy the motorized infantry division of the same name at the base of the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. At this time, the brigade, being in the front-line area near Taganrog, was restoring its combat effectiveness, replenished with personnel and weapons. At the same time, units in Germany were being equipped that were supposed to be included in the division. At the end of February, one of the battalions was transferred to Leningrad for several months and included in Georg von Küchler's Army Group North. In May 1942, the Leibstandarte was put into reserve and placed in Mariupol, where it joined forces with reinforcement units arriving from Germany. Measures to reorganize the division were carried out as part of the Wehrmacht's preparation for the 1942 summer offensive on the southern sector of the Eastern Front.

In May-June, the top political and military leadership of the Allies was actively developing a plan to open a “second front” in Northern France in the summer-autumn of 1942 (later a decision was made to abandon it in favor of Operation Torch in North Africa). German intelligence informed Hitler about the military preparations of the Allies and he decided to strengthen Army Group D, which carried out occupation functions in France, Belgium, and Holland. In the west, the headquarters of the SS Panzer Corps of Paul Hausser was organized and three motorized SS divisions were transferred there from the Eastern Front - Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, Das Reich and Totenkopf.

By the end of July 1942, Leibstandarte units were redeployed to France and stationed near Paris in Fontainebleau. The commander of the German troops in the West, General Field Marshal G. von Rundstedt, planned to use motorized SS units as a mobile reserve in the event of an Allied invasion. In August, the division was put on alert and received orders to move to the coast in connection with the Dieppe landing. After the failure of the operation of the Anglo-Canadian forces, the order was canceled and units of the Leibstandarte SS remained in Fontainebleau. In mid-October 1942, the unit was transferred to Normandy, and at the end of December an order was received for the urgent transfer of the entire SS corps to the southern sector of the Soviet-German front.

Leibstandarte units on parade in Paris, July 1942.

1943 Fighting on the Eastern Front, Italy.

According to Hitler's original plan, the SS Panzer Corps was to be part of Army Group Don and take part in the relief of the 6th Army of Friedrich Paulus, surrounded at Stalingrad. At the beginning of February 1943, when the SS panzergrenadier division “Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler” (the unit received a new name at the end of December 1942), together with other divisions of the corps, arrived in Ukraine, the 6th German Army had already capitulated. The corps was subordinate to the army group of Hubert Lanz (German: Armeegruppe Lanz), who was tasked with “holding Kharkov to the last man.” The city was the target of three Soviet armies of the Voronezh Front - the 69th, 40th, and 3rd Tank. Simultaneously with the Voronezh Front, the Southwestern Front also went on the offensive, receiving the task of capturing the Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye region, thereby encircling the Donbass enemy group. The Leibstandarte units, taking up defensive positions on the line of the Seversky Donets River, tried to stop the advance of the main forces of the 3rd Tank Army, Lieutenant General P.S. Rybalko, striking from the south-east direction. After several days of fighting, the resistance of the SS units was broken, and the water line was crossed by Soviet troops. The retreating German troops, concentrating in the Kharkov area, organized a strong defense and began to launch private counterattacks. The main forces of the SS Leibstandarte became the core of the mobile group that stopped the breakthrough of the 6th Guards Cavalry Corps. At the same time, Peiper’s battle group, created on the basis of one of the battalions of the division, managed to release and remove from encirclement the remnants of the 320th Wehrmacht Infantry Division during a raid on the Soviet rear. On February 15, 1943, under the threat of encirclement, the SS Panzer Corps retreated from Kharkov to the Krasnograd area, where it began concentrating for the counteroffensive planned by the German command.

The plan developed by the command of Army Group South, led by Field Marshal E. von Manstein, provided for the conduct of successive maneuverable counterattacks against the main forces of the Southwestern and Voronezh fronts. The main role in it was given to the SS Panzer Corps. In the operation to defeat the shock group of the Southwestern Front consisting of the 6th, part of the 1st Guards Army and the “Popov mobile group” (consisting of three tank corps and reinforcement units), the Leibstandarte did not take an active part, limiting itself to covering the Kharkov direction. On March 1, 1943, after a regrouping, German troops began implementing the second stage of the “Manstein Plan”: an operation to encircle the troops of the Voronezh Front in the Kharkov region. By March 5, three divisions of the SS Panzer Corps (more than 200 tanks and self-propelled guns) in the Kegichevka area surrounded and defeated the main forces of the 3rd Panzer Army (the remnants of two tank corps, three incomplete rifle divisions, up to 100 tanks). On March 7, 1943, the German 4th Panzer Army attacked Kharkov from three directions. SS divisions attacked the city directly, and the 48th and 47th tank corps covered Kharkov from the flanks. The Leibstandarte, being at that time the most powerful formation of the SS Panzer Corps, was at the forefront of the attack. The next day, units of the division captured the key defense point of Lyubotin, and advanced patrols reached the suburbs of Kharkov. The Adlof Hitler division, which carried out a frontal attack from the west with three battle groups, bore the brunt of the street fighting, while the remaining divisions of the corps bypassed the city, trying to encircle the Soviet troops defending it. By March 15, after five days of bloody battles, Kharkov was captured, but the remnants of the 3rd Tank Army managed to break out of the encirclement.

Leibstandarte on the streets of Kharkov, March 1943.

Immediately after the capture of Kharkov, Peiper’s battle group, created on the basis of the Panzergrenadier regiment of the Leibstandarte, reinforced by the remnants of a company of heavy Tiger tanks, made a rush along the Kharkov-Kursk highway and captured Belgorod on March 17. The next day, German troops went on the defensive. Over the next few days, units of the division were engaged in clearing the western bank of the Seversky Donets, eliminating individual pockets of resistance by Soviet troops. In the battles for Kharkov, the Leibstandarte suffered large irretrievable losses in manpower and equipment: over 45% of personnel and about 60% of tanks. The participation of the “Name Führer Division” in the Battle of Kharkov was noted: Hitler handed over a check for two million Reichsmarks for all personnel, and the central square of Kharkov was renamed “Leibstandarte SS Square”. At the end of March, the division's units were withdrawn from the front zone and sent to rest in Kharkov, where they restored their combat effectiveness.

Throughout April - June 1943, an operational pause occurred on the Eastern Front, during which the parties prepared for the summer campaign. In the summer, the German High Command decided to conduct a major strategic offensive operation on the Eastern Front: by delivering powerful converging attacks from the Orel and Belgorod areas, encircle and destroy the Soviet group in the “Kursk salient.” The timing of the operation, code-named “Citadel,” was repeatedly postponed by order of A. Hitler, who demanded the maximum massive use of the new heavy tanks PzKpfw V “Panther,” the release of which was constantly delayed. Thus, the personnel of the 1st tank battalion of the division completely left for Germany to receive Panthers and did not take part in the Battle of Kursk. The 2nd SS Panzer Corps was assigned a decisive role in the plans of the command of Army Group South, and its formations received new military equipment en masse and represented a powerful force. By July 4, 1943, the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler panzergrenadier division had 190 tanks and self-propelled guns, more than any Wehrmacht tank division (with the exception of the Grossdeutschland division, which was at that time the most powerful tank formation of the Third Reich). On the eve of the offensive, the unit received an order to form the 1st SS Panzer Corps "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler", so the division commander J. Dietrich and 35 senior officers received new assignments and departed for a new duty station. To organize corps units, a company from the reconnaissance battalion, one tank and one artillery battalion were removed from the Leibstandarte.

On July 5, 1943, the Wehrmacht went on the offensive in the area of ​​the “Kursk salient.” The main blow from the south was delivered by the forces of the 4th Tank Army in the direction of Korocha and Oboyan. The SS Tank Corps attacked in the defense zone of the 23rd Guards Rifle Corps of the 6th Guards Army of the Voronezh Front. The Leibstandarte, acting together with the SS division Das Reich, in the first days overcame the most fortified positions of the first and second army lines in the area of ​​the Belgorod-Oboyan-Kursk road and reached the Prokhorovka direction to the rear defensive line of the Soviet troops. The front command, trying to prevent the enemy from developing a breakthrough, instructed the formations of the 1st Tank Army M.E. Katukov to carry out a series of counterattacks. The 3rd Mechanized Corps, 31st and 2nd Tank Corps operated in the Leibstandarte sector. Conducting active offensive operations, Soviet troops for several days did not allow division units to leave the second defensive line system. Thanks to the introduction of tank reserves into battle, the Soviet command created conditions under which, having broken through the second line of defense, the SS Panzer Corps was completely constrained by battles in all sectors. By the end of July 10, 1943, after five days of bloody battles, the 2nd SS Panzer Corps managed to concentrate in the Prokhorovka area and was ready to break through the third (rear) line of defense. His actions were supported by the Wehrmacht's 3rd Panzer Corps. By this time, the Soviet 5th Guards Combined Arms and 5th Guards Tank Armies were transferred to this direction from the Steppe Front. These military formations were to face each other in an oncoming tank battle.

The SS division "Adolf Hitler", advancing in the center of the combat formation of the German troops, by that time consisted of 77 tanks. For two days, Leibstandarte combat groups broke through the defenses of the 183rd Rifle Division and units of the 33rd Guards Rifle Corps. By the end of July 11, German troops, wedged into the depths of the defensive positions of the Soviet troops, were unable to solve the main task - to complete the breakthrough of the defense of the Voronezh Front in the Prokhorovsk direction. Commander of the Voronezh Front N.F. Vatutin decided to launch a counter-offensive with part of the front forces in order to encircle and defeat the group rushing to Prokhorovka. On July 12, 1943, in the zone of action of the SS division “Adolf Hitler,” the Soviet 18th and 29th tank corps, which had about 450 tanks and self-propelled guns (of which about 350 participated in the battle), struck. The opponents had to operate in a narrow area, up to ten kilometers wide, bounded by the Psel River and the railway embankment. Soviet tanks, supported by infantry and artillery, carried out a “frontal attack” in parts - in waves, with significant intervals between them, on the engineering prepared positions of the Leibstandarte, reinforced by artillery and dug-in armored vehicles. Despite the significant numerical superiority of the Soviet side, the SS division not only repelled all attacks, but also almost completely retained its main defensive line. In addition, significant damage was inflicted on Soviet tank formations: both corps lost over 250 tanks and self-propelled guns. The very next day, the main brunt of the fighting was transferred to the zone of the SS Totenkompf division, and local fighting continued in the Leibstandarte sector. On July 16, 1943, German troops went on the defensive; moreover, the command of Army Group South decided to immediately withdraw the main forces from the battle and withdraw them to the line they occupied before the start of the offensive. According to division headquarters, during the nine days of Operation Citadel, losses amounted to over 10% of personnel and 30% of tanks.

A damaged German tank PzKpfw V modification D2, knocked out during Operation Citadel (Kursk Bulge).

At the end of July 1943, in view of the successful Allied operations in Sicily and the subsequent fall of the Mussolini regime, the Fuhrer ordered the transfer of the SS division "Adolf Hitler" to Northern Italy. Arriving at the location, the Leibstandarte came under the orders of Army Group B of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. The main objectives of the unit were: ensuring control over strategic industrial facilities, disarmament of units of the Italian army, and conducting anti-partisan operations. At the end of October 1943, the division was renamed the 1st SS Panzer Division, which, however, did not change its staffing table. In a short period of time, the division received new equipment and restored combat readiness.

Leibstandarte SS units on the streets of Milan. Italy, September 1943.

1945 Participation in the latest offensive operations Wehrmacht

At the beginning of World War II, the Leibstandarte fought as a motorized infantry regiment under army command. The addition to the SS troops was followed by transformation into a division. At the same time, according to evidence, due to special resilience, this unit suffered very high losses, which can be explained by insufficient military training, blind fanaticism and disregard for death. The unit's special pride was the achievement of the assigned task, regardless of the losses incurred.

During combat use, the division was under the military leadership of the Wehrmacht:

• March/April 1941, War in the Balkans (XXXX Army Corps, Field Marshal Wilhelm List, 12th Army).
• June 1941-July 1942, participation in the war against the USSR. She was part of Kleist's 1st Panzer Group.
• August 1942, stationed in France, Field Marshal Runstedt.
• January-March 1943, USSR (Third Battle of Kharkov), was part of the II SS Panzer Corps (SS Gruppenführer Hausser), 4th Panzer Army of Colonel General Hoth.
• June-July 1943, USSR (Kursk), as part of Army Group South - Field Marshal Manstein.
• August-November 1943, Italy (10th Army, Panzer General von Vittinghoff-Scheel).
• November 1943-April 1944, USSR (Dnepr), Field Marshal von Manstein.
• June-September 1944, France (Normandy), Field Marshal Rommel.
• December 1944-January 1945, France/Belgium (Ardennes), Field Marshal Model.
• January-March 1945, Hungary/Austria (6th Army, General of Tank Forces Balck).

Back in February 1945, the remnants of the Leibstandarte took part in the offensive at Lake Balaton in Hungary. The failure of this offensive was sharply criticized by Hitler, who demanded that the sleeve patches with his name be removed. Sepp Dietrich, who did not agree with this order, refused to transfer it to the unit. The last units of the division capitulated on May 9, 1945 in Austria.

Division war crimes.

During World War II, members of the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler committed numerous war crimes.

In September 1939, during the invasion of Poland, soldiers of the unit set fire to several villages and executed their civilians. The commander of the 8th Army, General Johannes Blaskowitz, directly accused the commander of the Leibstandarte, Dietrich, of looting and murder. His demand to bring the perpetrators to justice remained unheeded. Moreover, by order of October 17, 1939, members of the SS were prohibited from being tried by military courts. Now they became subject only to special SS courts.

During the French Campaign, soldiers of the Leibstandarte SS committed one of the first major war crimes of the SS troops. On May 28, 1940, in the city of Wormhoudt, embittered by heavy losses, soldiers of the 2nd battalion of Hauptsturmführer Wilhelm Mohnke drove more than a hundred British captured soldiers into a barn, set it on fire and threw grenades at it. About 80 people died. At the end of the war, Mohnke was captured by the Soviets and sentenced to 25 years in prison. In 1955 he was repatriated to Germany; in 1980, British justice tried to bring him to justice, but the evidence collected was not enough for a trial.

In preparation for Operation Barbarossa, the top leadership of the Third Reich decided to wage a “war of annihilation” in the East. By the beginning of the invasion of the USSR, the Wehrmacht High Command prepared orders “On the use of military jurisdiction in the Barbarossa region” and “On commissars”, which ordered the execution on the spot of any persons suspected of armed resistance, as well as captured commissars, communists and Jews. In relation to Soviet prisoners of war, it was stated that they were deprived of the right to treatment under the provisions of the Geneva Convention. On June 21, 1941, the orders of the German command were communicated to every soldier who participated in the attack on the USSR. At the same time, Wehrmacht soldiers received complete exemption from criminal liability for committing any crimes against Soviet citizens.

In 1944, Leibstandarte commander Joseph Dietrich was included in the list of 33 major Nazi war criminals.

From the first days of their presence in Ukraine, servicemen of the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler took part in the execution of Soviet prisoners of war and assisted the Einsatzgruppen in identifying Jews. Thus, according to the testimony of Erich Kern, who served in the 4th battalion of the Leibstandarte, on August 16-18, 1941 in the village of Vinogradovka, more than 4,000 Soviet prisoners of war were shot as retribution for the death of 110 LSSAH soldiers in captivity. In October 1941, history repeated itself in Taganrog, when the brigade commander gave the order not to take prisoners for three days and several thousand prisoners of war were shot right on the battlefield. During the occupation of Taganrog, units of the Leibstandarte, together with Einsatzkommando 10a of Einsatzgruppe D, participated in the extermination of 1,800 Jews.

Joachim Peiper's units were involved in a number of war crimes in the territory Soviet Union, Italy and Belgium

During February - March 1943, units of the Leibstandarte committed a number of crimes in the Kharkov region. On February 17, 1943, soldiers of Joachim Peiper's battle group carried out a cleansing of the village of Efremovka, as a result of which 865 civilians were killed. During the operation, the division command issued an order prohibiting the taking of prisoners. Soviet soldiers who were to be shot on the spot. According to eyewitnesses, during the assault on Kharkov, Leibstandarte soldiers committed numerous crimes against city residents: executions, rapes, robberies. On March 13-17, 1943, they destroyed (burned alive and shot) more than 700 seriously wounded Red Army soldiers in the 1st sorting army hospital, who did not have time to be evacuated to the Soviet rear.

To investigate war crimes in the USSR, the Extraordinary State Commission was created in 1942 to establish and investigate the atrocities of the Nazi invaders. The commission's task was to investigate the actions of the occupying forces on the occupied territory of the USSR, identify the criminals and determine the material damage caused. Based on the materials of the commission, a list of formations and units of the SS and Wehrmacht that committed war crimes on the territory of the USSR was compiled. Included in this list was the “Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler.” In December 1943, the world's first open trial of war criminals took place in Kharkov. The verdict noted that servicemen of the SS divisions “Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler” and “Totenkopf” were involved in committing massive war crimes in Kharkov (this conclusion was later confirmed in the materials of the Nuremberg trials). In addition, division commanders J. Dietrich, M. Simon and Leibstandarte battalion commander I. Peiper were found guilty in absentia of committing these crimes. In 1967, the USSR handed over the collected evidence to the German government for trial in this case by the German justice authorities. As a result of a process that lasted more than a year, the Nuremberg court, having established the fact that war crimes had been committed in Kharkov, recognized that there was insufficient evidence to bring forward individual charges.

Crimes were also committed during the division's short stay in Northern Italy. On September 15-24, 1943, near Lake Lago Maggiore, 49 Jewish refugees were killed by Leibstandarte soldiers. Five soldiers were tried for these crimes in the post-war period. On September 19, 1943, during an operation to disarm units of the Royal Italian Army, I. Peiper's battalion shelled and partially burned the village of Boves, resulting in the deaths of 23 to 34 civilians. In 1968, the Stuttgart court examined the case of Peiper and two of his subordinates, recognizing the murder of civilians by German soldiers as a fact, but could not prove their guilt in committing this crime.

Joachim Peiper's units were involved in a number of war crimes in the Soviet Union, Italy and Belgium.

December 17, 1944 execution of 72 - 84 prisoners of war of American soldiers during the offensive in the Ardennes, near the town of Malmedy.

Organization.

According to historians, the connection was renamed 5 times:

1. March 1933: SS-Stabwache Berlin.
2. May 1933: SS-Sonderkommando Zossen.
3. September 1933: Leibstandarte-SS "Adolf Hitler".
4. July 1942: SS-Division "Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler".
5. September 1942: SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Division "Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler".
6. October 1943: 1.SS-Panzer-Division "Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler".

LSSAH (motorized) (as of 1940):

I Sturmbann (assault battalion)
II Sturmbann
III Sturmbann
IV Security Battalion
artillery regiment
tank observation platoon
information platoon
information Sturmbahn
motorized platoon
platoon of motorcycle couriers
engineer platoon
engineering company
tank assault battery
musical platoon
light infantry column

SS Panzergrenadier Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler (as of 1942):

Infantry Regiment 1 LSSAH
Infantry Regiment 2 LSSAH
tank regiment LSSAH
artillery regiment LSSAH
reconnaissance battalion LSSAH
anti-tank battalion LSSAH
assault gun battalion LSSAH
anti-aircraft battalion LSSAH
engineer battalion LSSAH
Signal BattalionLSSAH
LSSAH supply battalion

1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler" 1944 Western Front:

SS Panzer Regiment 1
SS Grenadier Regiment 1 "L. A.H."
SS Grenadier Regiment 2 "L. A.H."
artillery regiment 1
SS anti-aircraft artillery battalion 1
SS rocket mortar battalion 1 (from September 1944)
SS assault gun battalion 1
SS reconnaissance battalion 1
SS anti-tank battalion 1
SS engineer battalion 1
SS Signal Battalion 1
SS supply battalion 1
SS reserve battalion 1 (from October 1944)

Flag of the LSSAH infantry battalion (obverse).

Flag of the LSSAH Infantry Battalion (reverse).

Flag of the artillery regiment (left).

Flag of the artillery regiment (right).

The second model of the LSSAH standard.

Commanders.

• August 15, 1938 - April 7, 1943 SS Oberstgruppenführer Joseph Dietrich.
• April 7, 1943 - August 20, 1944 SS Brigadeführer Theodor Wisch.
• August 20, 1944 - February 6, 1945 SS Brigadefuhrer Wilhelm Mohnke.
• February 6, 1945 - May 8, 1945 SS Brigadeführer Otto Kumm.

Notes:

Ripley, Tim "Elite Troops of the Third Reich." - Moscow: Tsentrpoligraf, 2010. - P. 7.
Worval, Nick "SS Troops: History and Facts." - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 2010. - P. 227.
Zalessky, Konstantin “Iron Cross. The most famous military award of World War II." - Moscow: Yauza-Press, 2007. - P. 39-48.
1 2 Gortska G., Stang K. “War of Extermination in the East. Crimes of the Wehrmacht in the USSR 1941-1944." - Moscow: AIRO, 2005. - pp. 62-64.
Worval, Nick "SS Troops: History and Facts." - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 2010. - P. 280.
Messenger, Charles "Hitler's Gladiator". — Kharkov: Book Club “Family Leisure Club”, 2010. — P. 75.
Zalessky, Konstantin “Commanders of the Leibstandarte.” - Moscow: AST, 2006. - P. 28-29.
Messenger, Charles "Hitler's Gladiator". - Kharkov: Book Club “Family Leisure Club”, 2010. - P. 78-79.
Worval, Nick "SS Troops: History and Facts." - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 2010. - P. 35.
Gallo, Max Night of the Long Knives. The struggle for power of the party elites of the Third Reich. 1932-1934." - Moscow: Tsentrpoligraf, 2007. - P. 176, 236-237.
Zalessky, Konstantin “Commanders of the Leibstandarte.” - Moscow: AST, 2006. - P. 90.
Worval, Nick "SS Troops: History and Facts." - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 2010. - P. 25, 48-50.
1 2 Williamson, Gordon "SS - an instrument of terror." - Smolensk: Rusich, 1999. - P. 67-70.
Zalessky, Konstantin “Commanders of the Leibstandarte.” - Moscow: AST, 2006. - pp. 37-38.
Müller-Hillebrand, Burkhart “German Land Army. 1933-1945." - Moscow: Izograph, EKSMO, 2003. - P. 506.
1 2 Messenger, Charles "Hitler's Gladiator." - Kharkov: Book Club “Family Leisure Club”, 2010. - P. 104-106.
1 2 Zalessky, Konstantin “Commanders of the Leibstandarte.” - Moscow: AST, 2006. - pp. 40-43.
Müller-Hillebrand, Burkhart “German Land Army. 1933-1945." - Moscow: Izograph, EKSMO, 2003. - P. 779.
Zalessky, Konstantin “Commanders of the Leibstandarte.” - Moscow: AST, 2006. - P. 44.
Williamson, Gordon "The SS - an instrument of terror." - Smolensk: Rusich, 1999. - P. 99.
Worval, Nick "SS Troops: History and Facts." - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 2010. - P. 128-129.
Liddell Hart, Basil Henry "The Second World War". - Moscow: AST, 1999. - P. 108.
Mellenthin, von Friedrich "Tank battles". - St. Petersburg: Polygon, 1998. - P. 42.
Ripley, Tim "Elite Troops of the Third Reich." - Moscow: Tsentrpoligraf, 2010. - P. 46.
Messenger, Charles "Hitler's Gladiator". - Kharkov: Book Club “Family Leisure Club”, 2010. - P. 119-121.
Zalessky, Konstantin “Commanders of the Leibstandarte.” - Moscow: AST, 2006. - P. 52.
Williamson, Gordon "The SS - an instrument of terror." - Smolensk: Rusich, 1999. - P. 112-113.
Worval, Nick "SS Troops: History and Facts." - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 2010. - P. 153.
Isaev, Alexey “From Dubno to Rostov” Chapter 2. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
Abashidze, Teimuraz, Ilya Moshchansky “Tragedy near Uman” // Military Chronicle No. 2. - Moscow: BTV, 2003. - P. 33-37.
1 2 Zalessky, Konstantin “Commanders of the Leibstandarte.” - Moscow: AST, 2006. - P. 56.
Manstein, von Erich "Lost Victories". - Rostov: Phoenix, 1999. - P. 223-225, 229.
Isaev, Alexey “Boilers of the 41st. The history of the Second World War that we did not know.” - Moscow: Yauza-Eksmo, 2005. - P. 290-292.
Isaev, Alexey “From Dubno to Rostov” Chapter 9. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
1 2 Mitcham, Samuel "Hitler's Field Marshals and Their Battles." - Smolensk: Rusich, 1998. - P. 133-134.
Isaev, Alexey “Boilers of the 41st. The history of the Second World War that we did not know.” - Moscow: Yauza-Eksmo, 2005. - P. 377-381.
Worval, Nick "SS Troops: History and Facts." - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 2010. - pp. 173-175.
Messenger, Charles "Hitler's Gladiator". - Kharkov: Book Club “Family Leisure Club”, 2010. - P. 141-142, 144.
Liddell Hart, Basil Henry "The Second World War". - Moscow: AST, 1999. - P. 140-141.
Worval, Nick "SS Troops: History and Facts." - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 2010. - P. 225-226.
Zalessky, Konstantin “Commanders of the Leibstandarte.” - Moscow: AST, 2006. - P. 60-61.
Worval, Nick "SS Troops: History and Facts." - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 2010. - P. 230.
Isaev, Alexey “When there was no surprise anymore. The history of the Second World War that we did not know" Part 3. Retrieved February 19, 2011.
Isaev, Alexey “Battle for Kharkov. February-March 1943." - Moscow: Strategy-KM // Front-line illustration No. 6, 2004. - P. 23-24, 26-34, 40.
Manstein, von Erich "Lost Victories". - Rostov: Phoenix, 1999. - P. 469, 475-476.
Moshchansky Ilya “Fatal City. Kharkov defensive operation March 4-25, 1943." - Moscow: BTV-book // Military Chronicle No. 3, 2009. - P. 15, 26-27.
Isaev, Alexey “Battle for Kharkov. February-March 1943." - Moscow: Strategy-KM // Front-line illustration No. 6, 2004. - P. 58-60.
Moshchansky Ilya “Fatal City. Kharkov defensive operation March 4-25, 1943." - Moscow: BTV-book // Military Chronicle No. 3, 2009. - P. 34, 45-47.
Sokolov, Boris "The Red Army against the SS troops." - Moscow: Yauza-EKSMO, 2008. - P. 120.
Zalessky, Konstantin “Commanders of the Leibstandarte.” - Moscow: AST, 2006. - P. 105.
Isaev, Alexey “Battle for Kharkov. February-March 1943." - Moscow: Strategy-KM // Front-line illustration No. 6, 2004. - P. 13, 73.
Messenger, Charles "Hitler's Gladiator". - Kharkov: Book Club “Family Leisure Club”, 2010. - P. 151.
1 2 Niedermayer, Herman; Walters, Jorn "SS Division "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler". Memoirs of front-line soldiers." - Moscow: Yauza-Press, 2009. - P. 178-180.
Zamulin V.N. “Kursk break. Decisive Battle Patriotic War» Chapter 1. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
Zamulin V.N. “Kursk break. Decisive battle of the Patriotic War" Table 1. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
Newton, Stephen "Battle of Kursk. German view." - Moscow: Yauza-EKSMO, 2006. - P. 492.
Zalessky, Konstantin “Commanders of the Leibstandarte.” - Moscow: AST, 2006. - pp. 106-107.
Zamulin V.N. “Kursk break. The Decisive Battle of the Patriotic War" Chapter 4. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
Zamulin V.N. “The Secret Battle of Kursk. Unknown documents testify" Chapter 1. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
Zamulin V.N. “The Secret Battle of Kursk. Unknown documents indicate" Table 7. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
Zamulin V.N. “The Secret Battle of Kursk. Unknown documents indicate" Table 5. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
1 2 3 Zamulin V.N. “The Secret Battle of Kursk. Unknown documents testify" Chapter 2. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
Zalessky, Konstantin “Commanders of the Leibstandarte.” - Moscow: AST, 2006. - P. 110.
Miller, Theodor "The Agony of the 1st SS Panzer Corps." - Moscow: Yauza-press, 2009. - P. 21.
Worval, Nick "SS Troops: History and Facts." - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 2010. - P. 243-244.
Mellenthin, von Friedrich "Tank battles". - St. Petersburg: Polygon, 1998. - P. 314.
G. Guderian “Tanks - forward.” — Nizhny Novgorod: “Times” GIPP “Nizhpoligraf”, 1996. - pp. 26-30.
1 2 Isaev, Alexey “Blitzkrieg tool.” Retrieved March 5, 2011.
Worval, Nick "SS Troops: History and Facts." - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 2010. - P. 101.
1 2 Worval, Nick “SS Troops: History and Facts.” - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 2010. - P. 85.
Collection. Army series No. 12 "SS Troops". - Riga: Tornado, 1997. - P. 6.
Hart S., Hart R. “Armament and tactics of the SS troops.” - Moscow: Eksmo, 2006. - P. 117, 153.
1 2 Collection. Army series No. 36 “Motorized infantry of the Wehrmacht” Part 1. - Riga: Tornado, 1998. - pp. 12-13.
Zalessky, Konstantin “Commanders of the Leibstandarte.” - Moscow: AST, 2006. - P. 229-231, 240-248.
Collection. Army series No. 36 “Motorized infantry of the Wehrmacht” Part 1. - Riga: Tornado, 1998. - P. 4.
Hart S., Hart R. “Armament and tactics of the SS troops.” - Moscow: Eksmo, 2006. - P. 46, 119-120, 140, 155, 163, 175.
Lizyukov A. I. “What a Red Army soldier needs to know about German combat techniques.” Retrieved November 27, 2009.
Almanac “New Soldier” No. 66 “Fighting tanks. Infantry tactics in the Second World War." - Artemovsk: Soldier, 2002. - P. 28.
Almanac “New Soldier” No. 66 “Fighting tanks. Infantry tactics in the Second World War." - Artemovsk: Soldier, 2002. - P. 35.
Hart S., Hart R. “Armament and tactics of the SS troops.” - Moscow: Eksmo, 2006. - P. 25, 35, 39-40, 46, 70, 130, 170.
Nenakhov Yu.Yu. "Miracle weapon of the Third Reich." - Minsk: Harvest, 1999. - P. 138.
Zalessky, Konstantin “Commanders of the Leibstandarte.” - Moscow: AST, 2006. - P. 83.
1 2 Messenger, Charles "Hitler's Gladiator." - Kharkov: Book Club “Family Leisure Club”, 2010. - P. 152-153.
Messenger, Charles "Hitler's Gladiator". - Kharkov: Book Club “Family Leisure Club”, 2010. - P. 115.
Zalessky, Konstantin “Commanders of the Leibstandarte.” - Moscow: AST, 2006. - P. 145-146.
Halder, Franz "War Diary". Retrieved February 10, 2011.
Gorzka G., Stang K. “War of Extermination in the East. Crimes of the Wehrmacht in the USSR 1941-1944." - Moscow: AIRO, 2005. - P. 26.
Vette Wolfram "War of Extermination: the Wehrmacht and the Holocaust." Retrieved February 10, 2011.
Ripley, Tim "Elite Troops of the Third Reich." - Moscow: Tsentrpoligraf, 2010. - P. 46-47.
Messenger, Charles "Hitler's Gladiator". - Kharkov: Book Club “Family Leisure Club”, 2010. - P. 131-132.
Worval, Nick "SS Troops: History and Facts." - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 2010. - P. 172.
Angrick, Andrej "Die Einsatzgruppe D in der südlichen Sowjetunion 1941-1943". - Hamburg: Hamburger Edition, 2003. - pp. 315-318.
Collection. Packer - Dyakova O.V. “Kharkivshchina at the Rocks of the Great Victim War: documents and materials.” — Kharkiv: SAGA, 2010. — P. 118.
Skorobogatov A.V. “Kharkiv at the time of the German occupation (1941-1943).” - Kharkov: Prapor, 2006. - pp. 79-81.
Worval, Nick "SS Troops: History and Facts." - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 2010. - P. 313-314.
Messenger, Charles "Hitler's Gladiator". - Kharkov: Book Club “Family Leisure Club”, 2010. - P. 251.
Moseley, Ray "Mussolini: The Last 600 Days of Il Duce". - Taylor Trade Publishing, 2004. - P. 42.
Zalessky, Konstantin “Commanders of the Leibstandarte.” - Moscow: AST, 2006. - P. 235.
1.SS-Panzer-Division “Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler” ssocr.com

Literature:

Thomas Fischer: Von Berlin bis Caen, Entwicklung und Einsätze der Divisions- und Korps-Artillerie der LAH 1939-1945. Eine Text- und Bildokumentation. Helios-Verlag, Aachen 2004, ISBN 3-933608-99-6. (Sachbuch, primät Schilderung der organisatorischen Entwicklung der Artillerie innerhalb der LAH)
Andreas Hillgruber, Gerhard Hümmelchen: Chronik des Zweiten Weltkrieges. Kalendarium militärischer und politischer Ereignisse 1939-45. Gondrom-Verlag, Bindlach 1989, ISBN 3-8112-0642-7.
Heinz Höhne: Der Orden unter dem Totenkopf. Die Geschichte der SS. Orbis-Verlag, München 2002, ISBN 3-572-01342-9.
Rudolf Lehmann (Hrsg.): Die Leibstandarte im Bild. Coburg 1995 (5 Bde.)
Herbert Maeger: Verlorene Ehre, Verratene Treue. Zeitzeugenbericht eines Soldaten. Rosenheimer Verlagshaus, Rosenheim 2005, ISBN 3-475-53659-5.
Kurt Meyer: Grenadiere. Schild-Verlag, München 1994, ISBN 3-88014-108-8 (Erlebnisbericht, apologetisch)
Jörn Roes: Freiwillig in den Krieg. Auf den Spuren einer verlorenen Jugend. Edition q, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-86124-587-6.
Wolfgang Venohr: Die Abwehrschlacht. Jugenderinnerungen 1940-1955. Junge-Freiheit-Verlag, Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-929886-12-X.
Bernd Wegner: Hitler's Politische Soldaten. Die Waffen-SS 1933-1945. Schöningh Verlag, Paderborn 1999, ISBN 3-506-77502-2.
Gordon Williamson: Die Waffen-SS 1933-1945. Ein Handbuch. Tosa-Verlag, Wien 2005, ISBN 3-85492-706-1.
Theodor Wisch (Alternativ-Vorname: Teddy): Zwölf Jahre 1. Kompanie Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. Ein Buch der Kameradschaft. Schütz Verlag, Oldendorf 1990. (Autobiographie, verherrlichend)

Archives:

• Bundesarchiv, Abteilung Militärarchiv, Bestand RS 3-1-1. SS-Panzer-Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler.
• "Deutsche Dienststelle für die Benachrichtigung der nächsten Angehörigen von Gefallenen der ehemaligen deutschen Wehrmacht" (WASt), Eichborndamm 179, 13403 Berlin

• 1st SS Division "Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler" on sudden-strike.ru. 1944-1945: Analysis of losses, table of combat readiness of tank units of the division, other information. (Russian)
• 1. SS-Panzer-Division Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler in der Übersicht on bundesarchiv.de (German)
• SS-Panzergrenadier-Division "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler" at lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de. Chronology and important dates 1942-1945. (German)
• "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" on OKH.it (Italian)
• 1. SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler on sweb.sz. Detailed information about history and a detailed chronology of events. (Czech)

Interesting Facts.

At the Victory Parade, Fyodor Legkoshkur was the first to throw the “personal Hitler standard” - the Leibstandart LSSAH - to the foot of the Lenin Mausoleum.

1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" (abbreviated LSSAH or LAH, German 1. SS-Panzer-Division Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler) is an elite formation of SS troops created on the basis of Adolf Hitler's personal guard. During its existence it was developed into a tank corps. Before the outbreak of hostilities, it was personally subordinate to A. Hitler. Along with some Wehrmacht and SS units, the Leibstandarte SS was one of the most effective military forces of the Third Reich. Since 1943, the formation operated in the most difficult sectors and was transferred seven times between the eastern and western fronts. In terms of the number of holders of the Knight's Cross, the division was among the leaders among the military formations of the Third Reich.

During the Second World War, military personnel of the unit committed massive war crimes and crimes against humanity. A number of them were convicted by tribunals and courts after the end of hostilities. Based on the materials of the Extraordinary State Commission to establish and investigate the atrocities of the Nazi invaders, the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler division is included in the list of Wehrmacht and SS formations and units that committed war crimes on the territory of the USSR. At the Nuremberg trials, the entire organization of the SS troops, including the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, was declared criminal.

Years of existence: March 1933 - May 1945
A country: Fascist Germany(Third Reich)
Type: Infantry, Panzergrenadier Division, Panzer Division
Number of people: 22,000 people
Motto: My honor is called "loyalty" (German: "Meine Ehre heißt Treue")
Participation in World War II: Polish Wehrmacht Campaign (1939), French Campaign (1940), Greece (1941), Operation Barbarossa (1941), Battle of Rostov (1941), Kharkov Operation (February - March 1943), Battle of Kursk , Italy (1943), battles in Right Bank Ukraine (1943-1944), Normandy (1944), Ardennes (1944), Balaton (1945), Austria (1945).
Insignia: sleeve cuff ribbon

Uniforms and special insignia
Since the creation of the Leibstandarte, its military personnel wore the standard SS black uniform designed by Karl Diebitsch without shoulder straps, with double “zig” runes in the right buttonhole (personal insignia were worn in the left). The only difference from other SS units was the white color of the waist belt and sword belt.

Since 1935, the black uniform became a ceremonial uniform and was replaced by an everyday earthy gray color. The style remained unchanged, but epaulets appeared on the jackets, and the red armband with a swastika was replaced by a uniform patch with an imperial eagle. In 1937, a uniform army uniform in feldgrau color with a dark green collar was introduced as a daily uniform in the Leibstandarte. With the outbreak of hostilities, camouflage uniforms and equipment were used for the first time in the SS troops, which later became widespread among the warring parties. Since mid-1943, the 1st SS Panzer Division used a unique camouflage pattern made from captured Italian fabric.

The most noticeable insignia was the sleeve cuff bands. They consisted of a strip of dark black woolen fabric, 28 millimeters wide, with the name "Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler" in handwritten script embroidered with aluminum thread. The ribbon was supposed to be worn on the left sleeve fifteen centimeters from the bottom edge. In addition, the servicemen of the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler unit had encryption on their shoulder straps in the form of a monogram of intertwined letters “LAH”.

The division's tactical emblem was an image of a master key enclosed in a standard heraldic shield. The emblem owes its origin to the founder and first commander of the Leibstandarte J. Dietrich, whose surname in German (German: Dietrich) is consonant with the name of the master key. At the same time, the emblem symbolized the connection’s ability to “pick up the key to any door,” that is, “to successfully cope with any task.” After Dietrich was awarded the Oak Leaves for the Knight's Cross, the shield began to be framed with a wreath of oak leaves. Since emblems were often applied to military equipment in field conditions, they differed from the standard and changed in accordance with the shape of the surface used.

Below is the staffing table of the units of the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler unit for the entire history of its existence:
During its history, the connection was renamed 5 times:

March 1933: SS-Stabswache Berlin
May 1933: SS-Sonderkommando
September 1933: Leibstandarte-SS "Adolf Hitler"
July 1942: SS-Division "Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler"
September 1942: SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Division "Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler"
October 1943: 1. SS-Panzer-Division “Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler”

"Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler"

Motorized infantry regiment "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" (German: SS-Infanterie-Regiment (mot.) "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler"), 1934

SS Standard Headquarters (German: Stab SS-Standarte);
I Sturmbann (assault battalion, German I SS-Sturmbann);
II Sturmbann (German: II SS-Sturmbann);
III Sturmbann (German: III SS-Sturmbann);
musical platoon (German: SS-Musik-Zug);

SS Motorized Infantry Brigade "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" (German: SS-Infanterie-Brigade (mot) "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler"), 1941

Leibstandarte Headquarters (German: Stab LSSAH);
1st Battalion (German: I. Batallion LSSAH);
2nd battalion (German: II. Batallion LSSAH);
3rd battalion (German: III. Batallion LSSAH);
4th battalion (German: IV. Batallion LSSAH);
5th Guard Battalion (German: V. Wachtbatallion LSSAH);
6th Battalion (German: V. Batallion LSSAH);
7th battalion (German: VI. Batallion LSSAH);
artillery regiment (German: Artillerie-Regiment LSSAH);
heavy weapons battalion (German: Schweres-Batallion LSSAH);
assault gun division (German: Sturmgesch-Abteilung LSSAH);
reconnaissance (motorcycle) battalion (German: Kradschützen-Bataillon LSSAH);
engineer battalion (German: Pionier-Bataillon LSSAH);
communications company (German: Signals-Kompanie LSSAH);
medical battalion (German: Sanitats-Abteilung LSSAH);
musical platoon (German: Musik-Zug LSSAH);

SS Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler"

SS Motorized Infantry Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" (German: SS-Division (mot.) "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler"), 1942

1st SS Motorized Infantry Regiment (German: SS-Infanterie-Regiment (mot) 1 LSSAH);
2nd SS Motorized Infantry Regiment (German: SS-Infanterie-Regiment (mot) 2 LSSAH);

SS Panzergrenadier Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" (German: SS-Panzergrenadier-Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler"), 1943

Division headquarters (German: Divisionstab);
headquarters company (German: Stabskompanie LSSAH);
orchestra (German: Musikkorps LSSAH);

1st SS Panzer Regiment (German: SS-Panzer-Regiment 1 LSSAH);
1st SS Artillery Regiment (German: SS-Artillerie-Regiment 1 LSSAH);
1st SS Reconnaissance Battalion (German: SS-Kradschützen-Bataillon 1 LSSAH);
1st SS Anti-Tank Battalion (German: SS-JägerPanzer-Abteilung 1 LSSAH);
1st SS Assault Gun Division (German: SS-Sturmgesch-Abteilung 1 LSSAH);
1st SS Anti-Aircraft Division (German: SS-Flak-Abteilung 1 LSSAH);
1st SS Engineer Battalion (German: SS-Pioneer-Battalion 1 LSSAH);
1st SS Signals Battalion (German: SS-Signals-Battalion 1 LSSAH);
1st SS Transport Battalion (German: SS-Nachschubführer 1 LSSAH);
1st SS Medical Battalion (German: SS-Sanitats-Abteilung 1 LSSAH);
1st SS Reserve Training Battalion (German: SS-Ersatz und Ausbildungs-Regiment 1 LSSAH);

1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" (German: 1. SS-Panzer-Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler"), 1944

Division headquarters (German: Divisionstab);
headquarters company (German: Stabskompanie LSSAH);
orchestra (German: Musikkorps LSSAH);
1st SS Panzergrenadier Regiment (German: SS-Panzergrenadier 1 LSSAH);
2nd SS Panzergrenadier Regiment (German: SS-Panzergrenadier 2 LSSAH);
1st SS Panzer Regiment (German: SS-Panzer-Regiment 1 LSSAH);
501st SS Heavy Tank Battalion (German: Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 501);
1st SS Artillery Regiment (German: SS-Artillerie-Regiment 1 LSSAH);
1st SS Reconnaissance Battalion (German: SS-Kradschützen-Bataillon 1 LSSAH);
1st SS Anti-Tank Battalion (German: SS-JägerPanzer-Abteilung 1 LSSAH);
1st SS Assault Gun Division (German: SS-Sturmgesch-Abteilung 1 LSSAH);
1st SS rocket mortar division (German: SS-SS-Werfer-Abteilung 1 LSSAH);
1st SS Anti-Aircraft Division (German: SS-Flak-Abteilung 1 LSSAH);
1st SS Engineer Battalion (German: SS-Pioneer-Battalion 1 LSSAH);
1st SS Signals Battalion (German: SS-Signals-Battalion 1 LSSAH);
1st SS Transport Battalion (German: SS-Nachschubführer 1 LSSAH);
1st SS Medical Battalion (German: SS-Sanitats-Abteilung 1 LSSAH);
1st SS Reserve Training Battalion (German: SS-Ersatz und Ausbildungs-Regiment 1 LSSAH);
1st SS Reserve Grenadier Battalion (German: SS-Ersatz-Grenadier-Regiment 1 LSSAH);

Commanders

August 15, 1938 - April 7, 1943 SS Oberstgruppenführer Joseph Dietrich
April 7, 1943 - August 20, 1944 SS Brigadeführer Theodor Wisch
August 20, 1944 - February 6, 1945 SS Brigadeführer Wilhelm Mohnke
6 February 1945 - 8 May 1945 SS Brigadeführer Otto Kumm

Assessing the role of the Leibstandarte

The Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler is inextricably linked with the Nazi party and state. From the moment of its creation, the Leibstandarte SS was an elite unit, which, according to the organizers, was supposed to personify the power of the Third Reich and its ideology. Over the 12 years of its existence, from a small detachment of personal bodyguards, the formation was developed into one of the strongest German tank corps armed forces. Of the 117 first-strength military personnel, one became an army commander, three became division commanders, 8 became regimental commanders, 15 became battalion commanders, and 30 became company commanders. More than ten more Leibstandarte officers who served in a later period commanded various SS corps and divisions. Thanks to participation in various parades and ceremonies and the efforts of the Ministry of Propaganda, the unit became the most famous and prestigious military formation, and its first commander J. Dietrich became one of the national heroes of the Reich. A. Hitler maintained constant contact with his “nominal guard”, monitored their military results, established unconditional priority in obtaining military equipment and replenishment of personnel, and until 1940 annually visited the unit’s barracks to participate in Christmas celebrations. Until the very end of the war, the soldiers of the 1st SS Panzer Division remained loyal to their Fuhrer, and even the incident with the deprivation of their name sleeve patches did not shake them. Considering the status of the Leibstandarte, all SS guarantor officers under the leaders of the Third Reich (adjutants, liaison officers, orderlies and others) were assigned to it. At various times, such famous personalities as Otto Skorzeny, Michael Wittmann, and Rudolf von Ribbentrop served there.

“As long as I have the honor of leading the vanguard of this battle, you will have the honor of being that vanguard. (from A. Hitler’s speech to the officers of the Leibstandarte SS on December 23, 1939)"

The Leibstandarte was constantly given special military tasks, involving it in the most important sectors of the front. This unit suffered very high losses, which can be explained both by insufficient military training, blind fanaticism and disregard for death, and by special resilience. The unit's special pride was the achievement of the assigned task, regardless of the losses incurred. At the same time, it was the SS troops, and the Leibstandarte SS in particular, that brought unprecedented cruelty and disregard for any norms of humanitarian law into the fighting. The SS division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler", along with other SS units, combined military valor on the battlefield with atrocities against prisoners of war and civilians. This relationship was due solely to the ideological motivation of the SS troops. According to some researchers, the military personnel knew about the ongoing racial policy of the Reich and the existence of concentration camps. Reichsführer SS G. Himmler at least twice publicly addressed the division officers with a call for mass extermination of the population of the occupied territories: in Poland (1940) and in Kharkov (1943). Most researchers, recognizing military merits, not only deny SS soldiers the status of “soldiers like any others,” but also consider it necessary to focus on the depravity of goals and methods of achieving them. The Leibstandarte has never been an exclusively military force, but at the same time it is one of the most famous representatives of the organization implementing the policy of genocide.

Standard of the SS Division Adolf Hitler.

In the memoirs of Antonov V.S. “The Path to Berlin.” There are these words:

“After the tour, we went out into the garden and approached the Fuhrer’s bunker. Captain Shapovalov showed us the Adolf Hitler standard, Field Marshal Rommel's baton and a map of Berlin that lay on the table in the Fuhrer's office. I ordered that all property be taken under guard...”

We look at photographs of the victory parade on June 24, 1945: it is absolutely clear that only the shaft is available. There is no standard.

Senior Sergeant F.A. Light skin with the standard of the 1st SS Panzer Division at the Victory Parade, June 24, 1945

A little from the history of Adolf Hitler's personal guard regiment:

Standard of the 1923 party "Deutschland erwache". In 1933, the SS “Adolf Hitler” was presented to the Leibstandarte (in fact, in connection with the appearance of such) with a black background on the box with the name of the Fuhrer and the party banner standard for this type.
In the summer of 1940, the SS regiment of Adolf Hitler's Leibstandarte SS was (in commemoration of his military merits during the Western campaign against Holland, Belgium, France and England) in the city of Metz, which had returned to the German state, presented with a standard, distinguished both by its shape and its appearance in appearance, from the previous one (and from all other standards of the SS regiments). The obverse of its square (and not rectangular, like all other SS and SA standards) panel was a copy of the obverse (and reverse) of the standard of the Fuhrer and Reich Chancellor of the Third Reich, Adolf Hitler.

Fuhrer's standard.

In the center of the red cloth, framed by a black and white border, there was a black, outlined in black outline, an erect hook-shaped (gammatic) Kolovrat cross (much larger than that depicted on the usual standards of the SS foot regiments) inscribed in a white circle, framed by a round wreath of golden oak leaves , with four golden eagles on Kolovrat inscribed in golden oak wreaths at the corners of the panel, bordered by a lush golden fringe.

The only difference between the panels of the personal standard of Adolf Hitler, as the Fuhrer and Reich Chancellor of the German Empire, and the standard of the SS regiment of his personal guard was the following. In the upper right and lower left corners of the panel of the standard of the Fuhrer and Reich Chancellor, Wehrmacht eagles were embroidered in gold (with outstretched wings, looking to the left and holding a Kolovrat in its claws, inscribed in an oak wreath), images of which, called “Gogeitsabzeichen” (German: Hoheitsabzeichen), which is usually translated into Russian as the “national emblem” or “state emblem”, all ranks of the German Wehrmacht were worn above the right breast pocket of the uniform and on their headdresses, and in the upper left and lower right - the “imperial eagles” of the German state (with lowered wings , looking to the right and holding a Kolovrat without a wreath in its claws). And on the obverse of the Leibstandarte standard, “Wehrmacht-style” eagles were embroidered in gold in all four corners. The reverse of the Leibstandarte standard featured a black all-German Iron Cross of the 1939 model with four golden Wehrmacht eagles at the corners. The standard was developed by the Oberführer of the SS Reserve, Professor Karl Diebitsch (who also developed the previous, “all-SS” standard of Adolf Hitler’s personal guard regiment).

Currently, the “field badge” (Feldzeichen, German: Feldzeichen) of the “Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler” is divided into two parts: an empty shaft with a gilded eagle crowning it on a wreath with a Kolovrat and a plate attached to the shaft with the inscription in Latin letters “ADOLF HITLER” (German: ADOLF HITLER), which appeared at the Moscow Victory Parade on June 24, 1945 in front of the mausoleum of V.I. Lenin is kept in State Museum Armed Forces Russian Federation(former Museum of the Soviet Army).

Meanwhile, the true value, the “soul” of any military unit, is not the flagpole, but its cloth. So, the banner, which was not taken to the Parade, is currently stored in the FSB archives:

The commandant of the Reich Chancellery Fyodor Platonov recalls ("Arguments of the week - Lower Volga region" No. 13 of April 8, 2010):

“In the room where the personal belongings of Hitler and Eva Braun were kept, a black wooden case was found. It contained a fascist standard, a shaft with a metal circle and a swastika.”

Later, when Marshal S. M. Budyonny visited the office, Platonov showed him this standard. Budyonny advised Platonov to send him to Moscow.

The standard was captured, assembled, and carried to the Parade without a banner for the banal reason of its heaviness and the practical impossibility of effectively carrying it, much less throwing it in a bent position. In addition, the standard is not on the list of Trophy Banners selected for the parade.

When filming the color film "Victory Parade" of 1945, some episodes were filmed, including a staged close-up with the throwing of banners that were not taken out for the parade at the foot of the mausoleum.

A Kriegsmarine flag appears attached to the staff of the AN standard. In addition, in the parade the shaft was thrown first, but in the film it ends up on top.

About real and imaginary heroism.

The Russian soldier was glorified for all time by his heroic spirit, which threw him at enemy bastions and machine-gun embrasures. As is known, there were many such cases. When describing them, it was as if it was tacitly assumed that only "our" (except, perhaps, only the Japanese, whose self-sacrifice Soviet historians and writers were, however, inclined to consider not heroism, but "blind fanaticism" , or, to put it another way, “not real, but imaginary heroism” ). And here "true heroism" a soldier of the German Wehrmacht, not to mention the SS - "Heinrich Himmler's black pack" was something completely impossible - not possible in principle, "a-priory" . Meanwhile, upon closer examination, it turns out that the facts (as we know, are stubborn things!) speak differently.

To this, of course, it may be objected that personal courage can sometimes be inherent in "bad guys" , but it is, they say, completely crossed out by the ideology they profess (as if the Bolshevik ideology was merciless - and in addition, according to "genius of all times and peoples" And "the luminary of all sciences" Comrade Stalin, constantly escalating! - class the struggle did not turn out to be bloody and misanthropic)! But even the ideology that inspired the construction of power and military exploits of such warrior peoples, who enjoy genuine respect (not only here, but throughout the world!), such as, say, the ancient Spartans or Romans, turns out to be nothing at all. not meeting the criteria "humanism" (even Soviet humanism, which the author and the people of his generation were still taught at school as « higher form humanism" at all)! As you know, the Spartans regularly staged "cryptia" - secretly hunting their helot slaves, destroying those of them who seemed to them the most rebellious or dangerous in any other respect (and thereby terrorizing the rest), and practiced the most severe racial selection, systematically "culling" newborns who did not meet Spartan racial criteria; any "tribal marriage" mercilessly destroyed - little ones - "frozen" thrown into the abyss from a cliff (this custom is none other than the leader of the Third Reich, Adolf Hitler, a big fan ancient Greece in general, but the Spartans public institutions- in particular, named "wise measure" ). And the Romans - well, they generally flooded the entire inhabited world of that time with blood, and they went so far that they plowed up the destroyed Carthage, sowing the place where this ancient London (or maybe New York?) stood with salt, and in addition they razed Jerusalem to the ground , leaving no stone unturned. And what? All this does not prevent us from admiring to this day the heroism of the 300 Spartans of King Leonidas, who stopped at the cost of their lives the onslaught of the countless hordes of the Asian despotism of Xerxes Achaemenides, and the valor of the Roman men, who with their loud military victories paved the way for European (that is, world) civilization and laid the foundation for everything foundations of the modern world.

Curious in this regard is the following very real episode of military operations in the Balkans during the Second World War, which required enormous sacrifices not only from the Balkan peoples, but also from the German army and Waffen SS.

November 20, 1943 disposition of 450 ranks I Battalion of the 24th Volunteer Armored Grenadier SS regiment Danmark (Denmark) in the city of Glina was attacked by the Red Yugoslav partisans of Josip Broz Tito. Due to the overwhelming numerical superiority of the enemy, the commander of the battalion attacked by partisans, SS Sturmbannführer Fischer, after two days of fierce fighting, tried to make a breakthrough at the head of his bloodless unit into the Petrinja area, but failed. On November 24 and 25, 1943, there was a heavy and bloody close battle for Glina. Units were sent to help the surrounded Danish volunteers II And III battalions of the 24th armored grenadier regiment Danmark (Denmark) , however, the regiment command had to transfer almost immediately III battalion from the Glina area to another settlement - Grastovica - which was also subjected to a sudden attack by Tito's partisans. Only after the use of dive bombers - "things" The SS command managed to break the encirclement ring and withdraw the greatly weakened I battalion from "bag" . The partisans retreated to the mountains. In the battles for Glina, the Danish SS lost 40 Waffen SS Fuhrers), but how about "Bolsheviks" (which speaks to the perception of the Second World War - at least by many of its participants - for example, officials Waffen SS, especially not of German origin, who volunteered for this war, without any coercion, as an ideological war with Bolshevism, and, in this sense, civil war).